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Politics & Government

Township OKs 'Southern Commercial Gateway' Zone

Revised zone resolves issue of homes in both Hillsborough and Montgomery.

The final chapter in the tale of two cities — New Jersey style — was written Tuesday by the Township Committee.

In March 2012, Belle Mead residents whose properties straddle the Montgomery-Hillsborough border came to the Township Committee to protest the rezoning of the Hillsborough portion of their properties.

For example, under the proposed change, the front yard of a Bellemont Road home, which is in Montgomery, would be zoned residential while the back yard, which is in Hillsborough, would be in the Highway Service zone. That parcel has been zoned agricultural and the adjoining lots in Hillsborough have not been developed.

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The Highway Service zone, a crescent-shaped area that starts along Route 206 and extends westward along the township border, was created to encourage the development of Hillsborough’s “southern commercial gateway” along Route 206.

The new zone was recommended by the Planning Board in a 2011 amendment to the township’s Master Plan.

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The ordinance that created the zone states: “The essence of this district is to create offices and other compatible uses of a modest employment nature along portions of Route 206 and to provide planned mixed-use development and for home occupations. Strip retail and uses with extensive lighting, signage and traffic requirements are not intended in this district.”

After approximately a dozen residents in the Belle Mead neighborhood complained about the proposed zoning change, which affects four properties, the Township Committee referred the issue back to the Planning Board.        

Residents had feared that the new zone could bring commercial development to the border of their neighborhood. But the zoning change, minus the four properties, returned to the Township Committee on Tuesday when it was unanimously approved without any comment or objection from the public.

There are no current plans to develop the properties in the newly created zone.

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